US 'Horrified' at Syrian Government Bombing Raids | WPN World People News

The United States says it is "horrified" at reports the Syrian government killed dozens of civilians during airstrikes on the Islamic State group's main city of Raqqa.

A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least 95 people were killed, including at least 52 civilians, in the Tuesday attacks on an industrial area and popular market.

In a statement Thursday, the State Department condemned what it said are Damascus' "ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international law." It said the government's "continued slaughter of Syrian civilians further exposes its callous disregard for human life."

Syria has battled since March 2011 against a range of groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's rule, while Islamic State fighters have seized territory in eastern Syria as part of their self-declared "caliphate" that stretches into neighboring Iraq.

Earlier this month, the Islamic State group released a video showing militants beheading 18 men described as Syrian soldiers.

The U.S. has conducted hundreds of strikes against the Islamic militant group in both Syria and Iraq. U.S. officials said Thursday they are shifting more planes from Afghanistan to take part in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Air Force officials say a squadron of A-10 fighter jets, known as Thunderbolts, recently arrived in the region from Afghanistan. The A-10 is able to conduct low-altitude missions at a slow speed, giving pilots more time to identify targets.

The New York Times also reported Thursday that Washington plans to send about six armed drones, referred to as Reapers, from Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

Source: Voice of America